Black and White
by GintaxAlvissForever
Summary: Akira is worried about taking Morgana with him to class after hearing the news of black cats and their owners being constantly harassed and even killed due to the stigma about black cats bringing misfortune to those who see it. Akira decides to ask Goro for help only to see that he has a little surprise waiting in his apartment. [31 Days of Halloween 2017]


**Black and White**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5. That goes to Atlus.**

 **Summary: Akira is worried about taking Morgana with him to class after hearing the news of black cats and their owners being constantly harassed and even killed due to the stigma about black cats bringing misfortune to those who see it. Goro volunteers to take care of Morgana but Akira believes that Goro doesn't know how to handle cats. That is until he sees that Goro has recently got one of his own...**

 **Pairing: Akira/Goro**

 **Rated: K+ (for older children)**

 **Genre: General, Romance and Humor**

 **Warning: Mentions of animal abuse and unintentional OOC**

 **This is day 16 of the writing version of Inktober. Today's theme is "black cat". This is one of the two Persona 5 fics for Inktober and I apologize to people waiting for the next update of** _ **Secret Marchen Garden**_ **. That story is on hold during Inktober for obvious reasons so the two P5 fics can fill the void in your heart. Enjoy!**

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Nothing good ever came on the news. The reporters never talked about the good deeds people could do or the happy events occurring. The news constantly reported on tragedies and natural disasters, or if the new reporter had an agenda, talked about politics and misinformation.

October was the month when bad things started happening. Scary stories and myths about serial killers and monsters often overtook the media, making it difficult to decipher whether the news was fake or not. Superstition proved to make things harder for those who wanted nothing to do with the scary holiday. Animals such as black cats were victims of accidentally scaring overly suspicious people with their presence. Black cats symbolized bad luck and misfortune to those who lay eyes on one. These paranoid people would take it to the extreme to not get cursed. In which case, said people often murdered these cats in hopes that the curse has yet to affect them. The same people would even harass and hurt the owners of said black cat, assuming they were the givers of the curse in the first place.

Enter Akira Kurusu, a struggling college student, who didn't believe in the supernatural. Yet, Akira had no problem picking up a stray cat off the streets, feeling a sort of attachment to it. The cat had no owner and, if left alone would be murdered for the color of its fur. Akira needed to take the cat to the vet in order to properly nurse it back to health. That was when he learned of the cat's gender. The male black cat got adopted by the college student and named Morgana once it became obvious the cat had nowhere to turn to.

Since then, Morgana refused to leave Akira's side, or rather bag. The school bag that Akira brought with him everywhere was like a second home to Morgana. The cat popped his head out of the bag every now and then to meow before staying quietly inside. Even though Morgana couldn't talk, Akira acted like he understood what the cat said and wanted. It was probably why the two became fast friends. Problem was the cat got in the way of not only schoolwork at times but with Akira's current relationship.

Despite his handsome appearance, Akira wasn't all that interested in having a romantic relationship. His parents expected him to succeed in school and often controlled his schedule. It made it difficult to have any friends much less a social life. Eventually, Akira had a falling out with his parents, resulting in them kicking him out and sending him to live with one of his mother's friends in Tokyo. There, Akira would live in an attic of a cafe. Granted, Akira's parents still intended for him to succeed and paid for his college assuming he went to the college of their choosing. While he did get in, Akira didn't tell them that his initial major that his parents wanted changed to something he desired after he met a certain someone.

Goro Akechi at first glance seemed to be someone Akira would never interact with. He was polite, mature and famous. Everyone loved him due to his charisma. Adults appreciated his maturity, and the young adults admired how successful despite his age. Goro was already a detective at a very young age and had solved many cases. It was a miracle that Akira could even associate with Goro much less date him.

Akira could still remember how they met. They passed each other but never interacted. Akira had seen the young man before on television but thought nothing of it. It was only when they bumped into each other while Akira was at work was when they properly introduced themselves. Goro had wanted to buy a flower bouquet for a co-worker as a way to thank her and he needed advice. As a florist, Akira managed to pick out flowers that was best suited for the situation as well as flirt with the detective.

If it was a one time incident, Akira would have thought nothing of his flirting. But Goro had returned to the flower shop to get something for his own apartment. From there, the two started to talk with each other. One thing lead to another before they became friends and then to lovers.

Akira learned very quickly that Goro's image on television was all but a persona. It turned out the brunette was rather cocky, competitive and snarky. Goro hated to lose as much as him. And yet, he was capable of being as gentle as his persona implied. Akira enjoyed teasing the older male. He might have been used to people making passes but Akira was very blunt with his flirting and intentions. The raven haired male just had to pretend he knew what he was doing, and Goro believed he was the more experienced of the two. Then again, Akira took things as slow as possible. He enjoyed learning about the detective. He loved how Goro admired his major being in psychology because of the amount of commitment needed to succeed. He enjoyed learning that Goro loved pancakes and that if he took him to a breakfast restaurant, that would be the first thing he would order on the menu. He enjoyed learning that Goro was a fan of a certain television show for kids and that even though he pretended to an adult, he had the heart of a child. Akira believed that he could ask him anything but there were still stuff that Goro refused to talk about. His past was still a mystery, and he still didn't like talking much about his job as a detective.

All of this would be perfect had it not been for Morgana. The black cat was forced to get used to the presence of the older male and while Morgana could tolerate Goro, it didn't mean he had to like him. Often, Morgana would interrupt romantic moments between the two males by either meowing for food or hopping onto Akira's lap. Because Morgana refused to leave Akira's side, it became difficult to have special moments together. Goro didn't mind too much simply because he prioritized his studying in school. Akira knew he needed to follow Goro's example but sometimes, he wondered if this was the bad luck that came with having a needy black cat.

Soon, Akira needed to make a decision. The news about people harming or killing black cats became more apparent. Professors would warn students to keep their cats indoor. Some students behind Akira glared at him for having a cat in his bag. He didn't appreciate the looks he got for having Morgana around and knew that he needed to find a way to keep his black cat safe.

Come the next day, Akira could not take the risk of the cat in the bag. If people were going to remain paranoid of the black cat superstition, he was better off leaving Morgana in a safe place. While Akira could ask Sojiro to take care of his cat, he felt like it wasn't right. The man was already giving him a place to live while he attended college. There was no reason to leave him responsible for his cat.

This was why Akira was in front of his boyfriend's apartment before the first class of the day. It was risky for Akira given that Goro did not have any animal experience but Morgana was a low maintenance pet. The two should be fine.

Goro opened the door wondering who needed him in the morning. He gasped seeing the younger college student in front of him with a devilish smile. However he swiftly recomposed his features to return a slightly more innocent smile.

"Good morning, Akira-kun. Is there a reason you're here early?"

"Yeah. I need you to look after Morgana for me. The news reported all these dead black cats and I don't feel like being a target for these fanatics," Akira answered quickly. "Mind if I come in?"

Goro blinked before he slowly nodded his head. "Y-Yes. Make yourself at home...and I apologize in advance for the mess."

Whenever Goro said his apartment was a mess, he was lying. His apartment was always neat and tidy unless the detective was working on a huge case that made him scatter all the paperwork around the floor. Today, the room was mostly clean except for some new items Akira had never seen before. For one thing, there was already a bowl of food and water for an animal. A yarn ball was on the couch and white fur was scattered around the carpet.

"What's this? Did you know I was coming over with Morgana?" Akira asked in a teasing tone. "You got the basic things to keep a cat occupied."

The detective flinched at his words. Akira glanced around the room looking to see if his speculation was true. He knew very well that this stuff wasn't for Morgana.

"So, how long will Morgana be here?" Goro asked changing the subject.

"For a few hours," Akira answered. "I'll be back in the evening. I want to run a few errands after class and I don't want to risk Morgana getting hurt."

"You really love your cat…"

"You would too if you had one."

"Actually…"

Suddenly, a high pitched meow caught their attention. Goro sighed realizing he wouldn't be able to hide it long. He could tell Akira caught on right away. Morgana's eyes leered upon hearing the meow that didn't come from him. A bell chime rang before Akira noticed something at Goro's feet.

"I didn't know you had a cat," Akira exclaimed. The cat was certainly faster than Morgana if he failed to notice the cat was this close to the detective.

Goro slowly picked up the cat and nudged his nose against the small cat's nose.

"She was calling for help so I picked her off the streets and nursed her back to health. I don't think she'll be leaving anytime soon."

Morgana poked his head out of the bad in order to observe the other cat in the apartment. The cat was smaller than Morgana and also fluffier. The white cat had huge blue eyes and from a distance, she could be mistaken for chew toy.

"Her name is Snowball," Goro introduced. "If I don't do a good job keeping Morgana company, I'm sure she will."

Akira laughed mentally to himself. As serious as a person Goro was, he had a weakness to cute animals and cute sounding names. This little cat was no exception.

"You sure are prepared this time," Akira hummed as he set his bag down confusing the black cat. "Can I expect you to feed this little glutton?"

Goro gave Akira a pleasant smile as a response. The younger male turned his face away to avoid looking at his boyfriend. Did he realize how cute he was being now?

"Snowball eats just as much. I'm more concerned that they'll both eat too much and have a stomache."

Snowball finally noticed Morgana and hopped out of her owner's arm. She approached the bag and let out a small meow. It earned a hiss from Morgana who immediately tried to claw at her. Snowball had quick reactions to avoid being hit but she continued to purr happily at Morgana.

Akira chuckled nervously. Morgana was hard to get along with so another cat might not be the best of ideas. Then again, he didn't want to risk being targeted because of having a cat in his bag. A few hours with his boyfriend wouldn't kill the cat. Morgana stared at his owner in disbelief as Akira put his hands around his cat's stomach and took him out of his bag. He placed the cat on the table, causing the cat to try wiggling out of his grip and getting back into the bag.

"Sorry, Morgana. I can't take you to class today. You saw the news."

Morgana might have heard the news and looked at the television screen but Akira doubted he understood the implication. Morgana's expression changed. He started meowing at Akira as if telling his owner not to abandon him. Akira smirked, knowing full well Morgana was more upset than scared. His cat was smarter than he appeared to be, and Akira would not be tricked by painful cat cries.

"What is Morgana saying?" Goro asked. He raised his eyebrow suspiciously at how the black cat was acting.

"He's begging me not to leave him here with you and the new cat you got. It means that he won't be prioritized once I do leave."

Goro glanced at the clock on the wall. Akira didn't have that much time to get to class.

"You should leave now then, Akira-kun. I don't want to be the reason you're late for class."

Once Akira's bag was free from Morgana, he put it back on. He zipped over to his boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later this evening. I'll be giving you something as a thanks."

Akira smirked at how red Goro turned at the implication. Even if they have been dating for at least a year, he still got flustered at the small romantic gestures Akira threw at him. Hopefully, the cats wouldn't ruin his fun later tonight.

"T-Take care…" Goro said in a quiet voice as Akira headed toward the door.

Goro watched his boyfriend leave through the door leaving him alone with the two cats. Morgana whined seeing his owner leave him with the brunette. Snowball hopped out of Goro's lap and scratched at Morgana's tail thus making Morgana forget that he was even upset with Akira having to leave him behind for a few hours. Goro smiled seeing the small white cat run away from the short-tempered cat.

"Akira-kun, you won't have to worry about me. These two will keep me company while you're gone."

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 **Me: Done with 2702 words. I know I am super late but bare with me. Notes!**

 **1\. I kind of had a headcanon that if I ever get to a sequel of _Secret Marchen Garden_ , Akechi would adopt a white cat in comparison to Akira having Morgana around. White cats symbolize good luck and Akechi is known for always having misfortune so it would be a change for him. I wanted the white cat to be completely different from Morgana. Morgana is a smart, snarky black cat while Snowball is a cute, not that smart white cat. Morgana is male and Snowball is female. **

**2\. A lot of people seem to headcanon that Akira would go in psychology for his major. Either that or law but I prefer the former over the latter.**


End file.
